Headrest for chairs



C. W. FERTIG AND A. J. MAY.

HEADREST FOR CHAIRS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12. 1917.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

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Charles W [@226 B dalfl/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. FERTIG AND ADAM J. MAY, OF

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO LAURA A. BROWN AND ADELINA RITTER SHUMWAY, TRADING AS RITTER DENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

HEADREST FOR CHAIRS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed October 12, 1917. Serial No. 196,103.

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. Fnnrre and ADAM J. MAY, both of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headrests for Chairs; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the reference characters marked thereon.

This invention relates to head-rests for chairs or other articles of furniture, but more especially designed for use upon dental chairs. v p

The invention has for its objects to facilitate and assure firm and comfortable support of a patients head in any required or most advantageous position during operations of a dentist or dental surgeon, and to provide in a simple and efiicient manner for every necessary adjustment of the two coacting head rest pads relatively to each other to secure this result without requiring direct manual operation of screw clamps or other fastenings for the adjusted head-rest pads. With these and other objects in-view the invention includes certain improvements in and combination of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a rear view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with one of the head-rest pads and adjacent supporting parts shown in transverse vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a detail bottomplan view of one of the pads and the end of the rocking carrier which directly supports it;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the main portions of the head-rest, and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the various complementary positions of adjustment of the head-rest pads;

Similar reference characters throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The numeral 1 indicates part of a lower post section adapted for attachment in any approved manner to the back or seat frame of a dental chair which is not shown in the drawin s. To this post section 1 is attached, preferably by a ball and socket joint 2, and

upper a clamping screw 3, the lower bent end of an upwardly ranging bar 4 preferably having an integral transversely extending bowed head or yoke portion 5. This head is provided at its opposite upturned ends with alined transverse bearings 6, 6, in which may turn the cylindrical heads of bolts 7, 7 the threaded inner ends of which are tightly screwed into opposite ends of a downwardly bowed transverse carrier 8, thereby pivoting the carrier to the head 5 in a manner permitting rocking of the carrier on this head in a direction forwardly and backwardly of alchiair to which the head-rest may be app ie At each end ofthe rocking carrier 8 is provided an inwardly and downwardly inclined seat or surface bearing 9, preferably having'considerable area and upon which rests and turns the base 10 of pad. This base has a pendent tubular stem 11, which is revoluble in an opening of the carrier 8, said opening being angularly disposed relatively to the adjacent carrier pivot 7. The pad stem 11 is internally threaded to tightly receive the threads of a pivot bolt 12, the head of which turns in a counterbore of the carrier opening as the stem 11 turns in said opening. Any approved means may be used for pivoting the pad to the rocking carrier in the relative position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The two head-rest pads 13, 14, have substantially similar construction, the preferred form' comprising a base block 15 upon which rests a coiled spring 16 which is overlaid by a covering or lining 17, above which is a cushion filling 1 8 of hair or moss which is covered by an outer leather,

or fabric facing 19 extending backward to and underneath the base block 15 to the rear face of which it is secured by screws 20 which fasten the pivoted pad base 10 to the block.

The preferred marginal form or contour of the pads is best seen in Fig. 2, which shows that nearly one-half of the pad periphery, at one side of the dotted line a-a is'formed concentrically upon an arc struck from the axis of the pad pivot 12, and that the remaining portion of the pad at the other side of the line aa has an elongated semielliptical marginal contour which assures the eccentric mounting of the pad as a whole. The carrier surface bearing 9 is .manually turned, the distance or gap between their lower inner margms may be varied to accommodate any peculiar shape of a patients head or ladys COlfilll'G. As

the pads are adjusted in Fig. 1, the ex-.

' tremities b, of their elliptical portions are mutually opposed to minimize the gap between the two pads 13, 14, but if they are turned about or over one-quarter of a revolution in either direction, their concentric marginal portions 0 will oppose each other and the gap between, the two pads then will have maximum width, this being the most frequently used relative adjustment of the two pads.

Special mention is made of the construction of the head-rest pad having an eccentrically disposed bearing on which it may turn upon a support, and also having a periphery the smaller portion of which is formed con- I centrically with the axis of the pad bearing and the larger portion of which is semielliptically elongated. WVith pads having this peripheral form and eccentrically mounted on their axes it is obvious that when the pads are adjusted as inv Fig. 1, with their marginal elliptic apices b innermost, a graduated increase of the width of the gap or space between the two pads 13, 14;, may be made by turning them either way until their short diameters represented by the line a a oppose each other and the pads may now be further turned nearly half-way around without altering the maximum gap between thembecause their concentric peripheral portions 0 then oppose each other,

thus giving opportunity to turn the pads to bring fresh cooler portions of their surfaces 1nto position to support a patients head more comfortably without altering the widthv of the widest gap or space between the two inclined pads.

This invention also includes means for automatically latching the pads to the rockingcarrier 8, and without requiring direct manual operationof screw clamp or other fastenings. In the illustrated embodiment this automatic latching means comprises a pin 21 operated by a spring 22 which forces it into engagement with one or another of the concentrically arranged depressions 23 in the pad base 10, eight of such depressions being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The

latch pins 21 hold the pads 18, 14:, in any position of adjustment and automatically slip back out of the pad depressions, 23, when the pads are turned manually. This rotative adjustment of the pads thus may be easily made while the patients headrests upon the two pads which may be conveniently turned by the dentist or by the patient himself. 7

Another function attributable to the eccentrically mounted head-rest pads, each rotating in its own plane and disposed relatively in downwardly inclined positions, resides in the fact that each pad may be similarly adjusted on its axis in a variety of positions and the same angularity ofposition obtained at opposite sides of the median line, thus maintaining a patients head which is normally shaped in a central position, and still allowing a head of peculiarcontour, or a peculiarly shaped head dress to be accommodated and held centrally. To facilitate the equal'rotative adjustment of the two pads without requiring special care and attention on the part of the operator, the auto matic latches are employed and the locking indentations or spots 23, on the two pad bases are similarly disposed so that each .of them may be retained in equivalent positions and the possibility of moving the pads into different relative angular positions without premeditated effort is avoided. The eccentrically pivoted and angularly mounted pads also adapts them as a support which will satisfactorily hold a patients head by engagement at a point somewhat above the base of the skull and on a line between the ears, the entire head-rest support being elevated to bring the pads to the desired point of elevation. Being thus able to locate the pads a dentist is enabled to alternately perform operations on the teeth of the lower jaw, withthe head in an upright position,- and on the teeth of the upper jaw, with the head tilted backwardly, without changing the adjustment of the head-rest or pads and without causing the "patient the discomfort or annoyanceof having the lower edges of the pads pressing gainst the neck especiall when the head is thrown backward.

We claim as our invention: 7 1. In a head rest for chairs, the, combination of supporting means provided with spaced bearings, a rocking carrier pivotally supported in said bearings, spaced pads supported for rotary adjustment about fixed 120 pivots on the carrier and each having a marginal outline comprising a substantially circular portion concentric with said pivot and also an eccentric portion, and spring controlled means for yieldably supporting each 125 pad in its positions of rotary adjustment.

2. In a head rest for chairs, the combination with a supporting means attachable to a chair and including two spaced bearings, of a transverse carrier pivoted to rock freely 130 in said bearings, cooperating pads supported by said carrier and each of which is adapted for rotary adjustment in the plane of the pad, and means supported by the pad and carrier for yieldably securing the pad in its position of rotary adjustment, comprising a resiliently actuated latch in one of said parts, cooperating with a member on the other of said parts having therein a plurality of concentric depressions.

3. In a head rest for chairs, the combination with a support, of a pair of eccentrically mounted cooperating pads, a pivot for each padfiXed relative to the support about which the pad is rotatable in its own plane, each pad having a marginal shape comprising a substantially circular portion concentric with said pivot and also a substantially elliptical portion.

4. In a head rest for chairs, the combination with a post, of a bar, a ball and socket joint securing the bar for universal adjustment relative to the post, the upper or outer end of said bar having a yoke portion provided therein with bearings, a transverse bowed carrier journaled in said bearings to pressed latch on one rock freely, a pair of eccentrically mounted pads, each of which is rotatable in the plane of the pad, and a pivot immovably secured to the carrier and about which the pads are rotatable.

5. Ina head rest for chairs, the combination with a post, of a bar, a ball and socket joint securing the bar to the post for universal adjustment, a yoke portion on the outer end of the bar, bearings in the yoke, a transverse carrier journaled in the bearings to freely rock therein, a pair of eccentrically mounted pads each of which is rotarily adjustable about a pivot on the carrier and has a marginal shape comprising a substantially circular portion concentric with said pivot and also a substantially elliptical portion, and means in cooperation with the pad and carrier for yieldably securing the same in adjusted position, comprising a spring of said parts cooperating with a plurality of concentric depressions in the other of said parts.

CHARLES W. FERTIG. ADAM J. MAY. 

